Safety rail

ABSTRACT

A safety rail and a connector for adjustably attaching an end piece to a tubular bar of the type used in safety rails. The end piece has a recess adapted to receive an end of the tubular bar and an opening for receiving a screw which passes through the end piece into the bottom of the recess to engage in the connector. The connector includes a crossbar having a lug at each of its ends. The lugs extend outwardly for attaching the connector to an inside surface of the bar. An integral tubular portion of the connector extends inwardly from the crossbar to define a threaded opening to receive the screw for drawing the end pieces to the bar. Each of the ends of the rail has one connector and one end piece.

Unite States Patent William Ross Breen [72] Inventor Toronto, Ontario,Canada 211 AppLNo. 41,513 22 Filed May28, 1970 45 Patented Jan.ll,1972

Hubert Industries Limited Toronto, Ontario, Canada [73] Assignee [54]SAFETY RAIL 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

Primary ExaminerDennis L. Taylor Attorney- Rogers, Bereskin & ParrABSTRACT: A safety rail and a connector for adjustably attaching an endpiece to a tubular bar of the type used in safety rails. The end piecehas a recess adapted to receive an end of the tubular bar and an openingfor receiving a screw which passes through the end piece into the bottomof the recess to engage in the connector. The connector includes acrossbar having a lug at each of its ends. The lugs extend outwardly forattaching the connector to an inside surface of the bar. An integraltubular portion of the connector extends inwardly from the crossbar todefine a threaded opening to receive the screw for drawing the endpieces to the bar. Each of the ends of the rail has one connector andone end piece.

SAFETY RAIL This invention relates to safety rails and in particular toan adjustable end piece for connecting the safety rail to a wall, flooror the like.

Safety rails are commonly provided in hospitals and old peoples homesfor disabled people who grip the support to move themselves about.

Although there are many types of safety rails, they are all commonlyattached to walls, floors or any other convenient support surface byscrews which pass through flanged end pieces on the rails. The endpieces are welded, brazed or silver soldered to the rails with the endpieces arranged in any desired position. Consequently when the rail isto be placed on a wall or the like, a problem can develop if screw holesin the end piece do not align with a suitable part of the wall. Forinstance if the holes are aligned with existing screws or nails in thewall then the rail must be moved to another location so that it can beattached to the wall. However, it may be difficult to move the rail ifthe rail is to be located in a corner between two walls and the floorbecause there is only one position in which the rail will be upright andparallel to the walls. Thus if the rail can not be connected in thisposition, some modification must be made either to the wall or to thefloor to change the position of the end pieces in relation to the wallsand the floor.

A further problem arises in safety rails of the type commonly calledgrab bars. These consist of a rail having angled end portions and endpieces for connection to the wall. If the bar is to be horizontal thenthe flanged end pieces must be attached to the bar in a given positionwhereas if the bar is to be inclined then the flanges must be attachedin another position. Consequently a large variety of bars must be keptin stock for attachment in various positions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety rail havingflanged end pieces which can be rotated on the rail to place them in anydesired position for attachment to the wall. This permits a contractorwhen assembling the bars to adjust the flanged end pieces if required toavoid expensive modifications to the wall.

Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the invention provides a safety railhaving a tubular bar and a flanged end piece adapted to fit over the endof the tubular bar for attachingthe bar to a wall or the like. Aconnector is attached to the inside of the bar and a screw is providedwhich passes through the flanged end piece and threadably engages in theconnector to draw the bar into the end piece. The end piece can berotated about the axis of the bar into any desired position before thescrew is tightened.

In another of its aspects, the invention provides a connector forattaching a tubular bar or the like to an end piece having a recessadapted to receive an end of the tubular bar. The end piece has anopening for receiving the screw which passes through the end pieces intothe bottom of the recess to threadably engage in the connector. Theconnector includes a crossbar having a lug at each of its ends. Each ofthe lugs extends from the crossbar outwardly towards the end of the barfor attaching the connector to the bar. An integral tubular portion ofthe connector extends inwardly from the crossbar to define a threadedopening to receive the screw for drawing the end pieces onto the bar.

These and other aspects of the invention will bebetter understood withreference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an adjustable end piece and anend portion of a guard rail;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view on lines 22 of the end piece attached tothe guard rail;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a connector for attaching the end pieceto the guard rail;

FIG. 4 and 5 are perspective views of safety rails incorporating endpieces; and

FIG. 6 and 7 are perspective views of bathtub rails incorporating theend pieces.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which shows a tubular end portion 10of a safety rail 11 and an end piece 12 for attachment to the endportion 10. Rail 11 is tubular and the end portion 10 which is generallycylindrical fits into a cylindrical recess 14in the end piece 12. Aconnector 16 is attached to an inner wall 18 of the rail 10 by brazing,welding, silver soldering or the like for threadably receiving a lockingscrew 20. A countersunk opening 22 extends forwardly from a rear face 24of the end piece concentrically with the axis of recess 14 andterminates in a bottom wall 25 (FIG. 2) of the end piece.

End piece 12 includes a generally elliptical flanged portion 26 having afront face 28 and boss 30 which extends forwardly from the front face 28to define the recess 14. A pair of countersunk holes 32, 24 one oneither side of the boss 30 extends rearwardly from the front face 28 toreceive attachment screws (not shown for coupling the end piece 12 to awall, floor, or the like.

The connector 16 consists of a crossbar 36 and a pair of lugs orextensions 38, 40 which extend outwardly from respective ends of thecrossbar 36 towards the end of the rail 11. The lugs 38, 40 are roundedin cross section to match the internal diameter of the end portion 10 sothat when the connector 16 is inserted in the end portion 10 (as will beexplained with reference to FIG. 3) the connector is a snug fit with thelugs 38, 40 in contact with the inner wall 18 of the end portion 10.This snug fit is normally sufficient to locate the connector 16 in placeon the inner wall 18 while the connector is brazed to the wall 18. Anintegral tubular portion 41 of the connector 16 extends inwardly fromthe crossbar 36 to provide a threaded opening 42 for receiving the screw20.

Reference is next made to FIG. 2 which shows the screw 20 in place inthe connector 16 and with the end portion 10 of rail 11 pulled downagainst the bottom wall 25 of the recess 14. The bottom wall 25 ismachined to be parallel with the rear face 24 of the end piece 12 andthe axis of the recess 14 is at right angles to both the bottom wall 26and the rear face 24. Also the end of the rail 11 is squared relative toits axis so that when the rail 11 is engaged against the bottom wall 25,the axis of the end portion 10 of the rail is coincident with the axisof the recess 14. This permits the end piece 12 to be rotated around theend portion 10 and positioned as required before screws are insertedthrough holes 32, 34 to attach the end piece to a wall or the like.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3 which shows connector 16 before it isinserted into a rail 46. The lugs 38, 40 diverge upwardly as drawn sothat when the connector is inserted into the rail 46, the lugs 38, 40will be deflected inwardly into surface contact with the inner wall 48of the rail 46. Consequently the resiliency of the material of theconnector will cause the lugs 38, 40 to frictionally lock the connector16 in place in the rail 46. The crossbar 36 is narrower than theinternal diameter of the rail 46 so that if the connector 16 ismispositioned in the rail 46, the crossbar 36 can be gripped using apair of pliers or the like and the connector 16 manipulated back intoposition. The connector is then attached to the inner wall 48 of therail 46 by brazing the exposed ends of the lugs 38, 40 to the inner wall48. The lugs 38, 40 therefore serve two purposes. Initially they areused for locating the connector 16 in the rail 46 and then they are usedto attach the connector to the inner wall 48, by brazing, welding,silver soldering, or the like. The lugs are sufficiently large to permitbrazing without damage to the internal threaded opening 42 which isremote from the ends of the lugs 38, 40.

When assembling a safety rail to a wall or floor, the rail if firstpositioned with the end pieces fitted loosely on the rails so that theend pieces can be rotated into the desired position relative to therail. The locking screws 20 are then tightened and the rail isrepositioned where it is to be attached to. the floor. Next, screws areinserted through the holes 32, 34 and each end piece 12 tightened inposition.

The end piece 12 permits the person who is attaching the rail to avoidirregularities in a wall or existing nails or screws in the wall bysimply rotating the corresponding end piece until he can place screwsthrough the openings 32, 34 into the wall. A further advantage is thatif the screws holding a safety rail to a wall are pulled ofl the wallthe end piece can be rotated until the screws can be positioned in thewall in a new location.

The fastener 16 has been described with two lugs 38, 40 and a crossbar36. However, in general any number of lugs or a continuous cylindricalextension can be used. The number of lugs and shape of the extensionwill determine the shape of the crossbar. For instance the cylindricalextension will require a circular crossbar.

Reference is made to FIGS. 4 and 5 which show two safety rails 50, 52 ofa type commonly called grab bars. The grab bars are to be attached to awall at a height which is convenient for a person to support his weight.Grab bar 50 is intended to be attached to the wall in a horizontalposition as shown in FIG. 4, whereas grab bar 52 is to be attached in aninclined position. The load applied on the grab bar is better disturbedon the wall if the end pieces 54, 56 are in the positions shown in thefigures. Consequently unless the end pieces are adjustable, the bars 50,52 must be supplied with the end pieces welded in the position shown.According to the present invention, a grab bar can be supplied withadjustable end pieces so that the bar can be positioned as required.This eliminates the need for extensive stocks of different types of grabbars.

A further example of the need for flexibility in producing safety railsis illustrated in FIG. 6 and 7. Rails 58, 60 are of a type commonlycalled bath tub rails which are intended to be positioned about a bathto enable a disabled person to enter and leave a respective bath tub 62,64. In each case the safety rail has three end pieces which are to beattached to walls or floor. If any mistake is made in attaching a screwthrough an end piece, of if the wall is damaged where screws should go,then unless adjustable end pieces such as end piece 12 are used, thewhole bar must be moved to find a position where the wall is notdamaged. This may mean that the bar has to be placed above the bath tubin a less convenient position for the disabled person. This isparticularly true of safety rail 60 which has to be attached to twowalls and to the floor. There is consequently only one position in whichthis rail will go if it is to have its respective bars horizontal andvertical. If the wall is damaged where the rail 60 is to be attached,repairs must be made to the wall unless adjustable end pieces are used.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A safety rail for attachment to a wall, floor and the like, thesafety rail comprising:

a tubular end portion having inner and outer surfaces of respectivepredetermined internal and external diameters;

an end piece comprising: a flanged portion having a transverse rear facefor placing in contact with the wall, and a front face parallel to therear face, the flanged portion further defining at least one axial holeextending through the flanged portion for receiving a fastener to attachthe rail to the wall;

a boss extending outwardly from said front face. the boss defining acylindrical recess of a diameter substantially equal to said externaldiameter, and containing an end of said tubular portion, the axis of therecess being normal to respective planes containing the front and rearfaces and the end piece further defining an opening extending betweensaid faces and coaxial with said recess; and

a connector permanently attached to the inner surface of the endportion, the connector comprising: a crossbar extending transversely; apair of lugs extending axially towards the end piece, the lugs beingintegrally attached to respective ends of the crossbar and curved incross section for face-to-face engagement with said inner surface, thelugs being attached permanently to said inner surface; and a tubularportion integrally attached to the crossbar and extending coaxially withthe recess and away from the end piece to define a threaded openingextending axially through the crossbar and tubular portion; and alocking screw extending through the opening in the end piece andthreadably engaged in said threaded opening whereby said end piece isattached to said tubular end portion in a preferred angular positionwith respect to said tubular end portion.

2. In a safety rail having a tubular end portion including inner andouter surfaces of respective predetermined internal and externaldiameters, an end piece defining openings for receiving fasteners toattach the end piece to a wall and the like, and means coupling the endpiece to the end portion, the improvement wherein the coupling meanscomprises: a connector having a crossbar extending transversely, a pairof lugs extending axially towards the end piece, the lugs beingintegrally attached to respective ends of the crossbar and curved incross section for face-to-face engagement with said inner surface, thelugs being attached permanently to said inner surface, and a tubularportion integrally attached to the crossbar and extending coaxially withthe tubular end portion and away from the end piece to define a threadedopening extending axially through the crossbar and tubular portion; anda locking screw extending through the end piece and threadably en gagedin said threaded opening whereby said end piece is attached to saidtubular end portion for angular location at a preferred positionrelative to the end portion.

3. A safety rail as claimed in claim 1 in which the crossbar isgenerally rectangular, each of the lugs being attached to acorresponding one of the shorter sides of the rectangular crossbar sothat the longer sides of the crossbar are exposed for gripping theconnector during assembly of the safety rail.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which said connector crossbar isgenerally rectangular, each of said lugs being attached to acorresponding one of the shorter sides of the rectangular crossbar tothat the longer sides of the crossbar are exposed for gripping theconnector during assembly of the safety rail.

1. A safety rail for attachment to a wall, floor and the like, thesafety rail comprising: a tubular end portion having inner and outersurfaces of respective predetermined internal and external diameters; anend piece comprising: a flanged portion having a transverse rear facefor placing in contact with the wall, and a front face parallel to therear face, the flanged portion further defining at least one axial holeextending through the flanged portion for receiving a fastener to attachthe rail to the wall; a boss extending outwardly from said front face,the boss defining a cylindrical recess of a diameter substantially equalto said external diameter, and containing an end of said tubularportion, the axis of the recess being normal to respective planescontaining the front and rear faces and the end piece further definingan opening extending between said faces and coaxial with said recess;and a connector permanently attached to the inner surface of the endportion, the connector comprising: a crossbar extending transversely; apair of lugs extending axially towards the end piece, the lugs beingintegrally attached to respective ends of the crossbar and curved incross section for face-to-face engagement with said inner surface, thelugs being attached permanently to said inner surface; and a tubularportion integrally attached to the crossbar and extending coaxially withthe recess and away from the end piece to define a threaded openingextending axially through the crossbar and tubular portion; and alocking screw extending through the opening in the end piece andthreadably engaged in said threaded opening whereby said end piece isattached to said tubular end portion in a preferred angular positionwith respect to said tubular end portion.
 2. In a safety rail having atubular end portion including inner and outer surfaces of respectivepredetermined internal and external diameters, an end piece definingopenings for receiving fasteners to attach the end piece to a wall andthe like, and means coupling the end piece to the end portion, theimprovement wherein the coupling means comprises: a connector having acrossbar extending transversely, a pair of lugs extending axiallytowards the end piece, the lugs being integrally attached to respectiveends of the crossbar and curved in cross section for face-to-faceengagement with said inner surface, the lugs being attached permanentlyto said inner surface, and a tubular portion integrally attached to thecrossbar and extending coaxially with the tubular end portion and awayfrom the end piece to define a threaded opening extending axiallythrough the crossbar and tubular portion; and a locking screw extendingthrough the end piece and threadably engaged in said threaded openingwhereby said end piece is attached to said tubular end portion forangular location at a preferred position relative to the end portion. 3.A safety rail as claimed in claim 1 in which the crossbar is generallyrectangular, each of the lugs being attached to a corresponding one ofthe shorter sides of the rectangular crossbar so that the longer sidesof the crossbar are exposed for gripping the connector during assemblyof the safety rail.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which saidconnector crossbar is generally rectangular, each of said lugs beingattached to a corresponding one of the shorter sides of the rectangularcrossbar to that the longer sides of the crossbar are exposed forgripping the connector during assembly of the safety rail.